


Work It Out

by Mdeezy



Series: Bitty Comes Out [1]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Bitty comes out, Jack is gonna get chirped a lot, Jack is supportive, M/M, Suzanne is impressed, There is some laughing, that's just how it goes, that's really all there is lol, there is some crying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-18
Updated: 2017-03-18
Packaged: 2018-10-06 23:14:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10346751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mdeezy/pseuds/Mdeezy
Summary: Bitty tells his mother he's dating an NHL superstar. His mama does not believe him. Hi-jinks ensue.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry if the title is misleading. It was just the only Beyonce song title I could think of that fit XD I haven't written for this fandom before. Please be kind.

It was only hours into Christmas vacation and the Bittle Family’s quaint, sunshine yellow kitchen was already overflowing with every kind of pie-like confection imaginable. Apple. Cherry. Rhubarb. You name it, and it was probably perched on one of the many crowded windowsills.

This increased state of pie productivity was due in part to the fact that the elder Bittle had missed her son/best friend/partner in sugary crime something fierce while he was away at college, but it was mostly just because Eric himself was more nervous than he’d ever been in his whole life.

Today was the day. Today was the day he would tell her about Jack.

Jack, the sweet boy, had wanted to do a proper sit down dinner between the four of them to make it easier, but he was busy finishing up a four day road trip and Eric kind of wanted to test the waters first anyway; you know, edge his way up under the band-aid of heteronormativity before ripping it off completely.

Eric sighed and stuffed his hands deep into his jacket pockets to hide the shaking. His mother was bent over rummaging through the refrigerator and humming a Katy Perry song slightly offkey.

He took a moment to imagine Jack’s loving blue eyes and steady hands. He imagined how nice it would feel to bring Jack home with him for the holidays. To snuggle close on the couch watching movies while Moo Maw snored in the background. To lovingly stare at each other across the hall and lean in close at dinnertime and pick food off of each other’s plates without worrying about what anyone might think.

The only way to get to that point was to tell them.

He sucked in a deep breath.

“Mama, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”

Something in his tone must have alerted Suzanne to his nerves because she retreated from the refrigerator without the milk she’d been looking for and turned to him with furrowed brows.

“What’s wrong Dicky?”

“Nothing’s wrong mama, I promise.” Eric plastered on his fakest most accommodating smile. “Just some...developments.”

Suzanne folded her arms across her chest. “You didn’t get another concussion did you? Because I swear--”

“I’m seeing someone,” Eric blurted, stopping her mid-lecture.

“Oh,” she said quietly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She followed with a tentative, “What’s her name?”

Eric’s heart gave an uncomfortable squeeze at the word ‘her’. He didn’t really know how to continue, but like always, Suzanne sensed her son’s hesitation and wrapped him up in a hug.

“Whoever it is honey, you can tell me,” she whispered in his ear. “As long as you’re happy. That’s all that matters.”

Eric breathed in deeply. She still smelled like cinnamon from the cobbler they’d made hours ago.

“I’m not dating a girl Mama.” He said, pulling away.

Suzanne was quiet for a moment, processing. Then her eyes narrowed and she was nodding. “Okay,” she said. “Okay yeah. I was wondering about that.”

Eric hid his face in his hands. “Am I really that obvious?”

Suzanne gave him a wry smile. “No. Your aunt Prudence told me you mentioned something about it on your blog, but I wasn’t sure if I should believe her or not. You know how she gets about gossip, bless her heart.”

“You’re not upset with me?”

Suzanne smoothed back his hair. “Of course not my love. I’m a little upset that you felt like you had to hide it from me, but I understand. Thank you for finally letting me know.”

Tears started falling down Eric’s cheeks. “I don’t know how to tell Coach.”

Suzanne pulled up a chair from the island and practically forced her crying son into it.

“Sweetheart,” she cooed, leaning over him. “Your daddy loves you no matter what. You know that?”

“He’s gonna be so disappointed in me.” The words came out mangled and broken with sobs. His greatest fear, put into words for the very first time.

“He won't be.” She said it like a fact instead of a promise.

Eric nodded and leaned back in his chair until the sniffling subsided. Suzanne handed him a tissue that materialized out of nowhere via some sort of mom magic. He loudly blew his nose into it.

“So,” she said, tapping her nails on the edge of the countertop. “Who’s the lucky boy? Is it the cute goalkeeper you’re always going on about?”

Eric choked on a laugh.

“No, not Chowder. He’s got a girlfriend. It is someone from the team though. It’s uh, well you’ve actually met him.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Not Adam or Justin?”

Eric shook his head. “No, not them.”

His mother’s eyes suddenly went wild with panic. “Not…”

“No mother. I’m not dating Sh-- I mean, Mr. Crappy.” Bitty shuddered at the very thought. Not that Shitty wasn’t great or anything, but reciprocated romantic love from Mr. Knight was not something that many people (besides Lardo) were likely to survive. “It’s Jack Mom. I’m dating Jack.”

Suzanne cracked a grin. “That’s funny sweetheart, but seriously. Who is it? I’m running out of ideas.”

Eric threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. “Moooooom. Coming out is hard enough without you discrediting me.”

“Well I wouldn’t have to discredit you if you’d just tell me the truth!”

A flash of white hot irritation sparked in Eric’s chest. “Wait here.” He demanded, hopping off the chair and running to retrieve his phone from it’s spot next to the powder blue kitchenaid mixer. Sitting back down, he made a huge show of opening up facetime and calling his boyfriend. Jack answered on the third ring, shirtless and flushed, likely just getting done with drills or warm ups or something. There was a wall of lockers situated behind him, but the room seemed a touch too quiet to be filled with professional athletes.

Jack smiled up at him. “Hey Bits, what’s up?”

“Who all’s there with you?” Eric demanded in lieu of a hello.

“Uh, just Marty, Randy and Tater, why?”

Eric angled the phone closer so that his mom could see the screen and said, “Jack Zimmermann will you please tell my mother that you’re dating me?”

There was a chorus of whistles and oohs from the boys, including one very enthusiastic “Hi Bee tee” from Tater. Bitty couldn’t bring himself to care about that right now.

Jack cleared his throat. He was good and flustered, “Bits, I thought we agreed that you wanted to be the one to tell her.”

Eric rolled his eyes. “I did. She doesn’t believe me.”

Jack had the nerve to chuckle. The boys in the background were downright cackling.

Eric scowled at him. “Oh you think that’s funny, do you mister Zimmermann?”

Jack smiled sheepishly. “Maybe a little bit. Put her on the phone.”

Eric turned and beckoned his mother closer, handing over the device. She took it, though it was already clear from the stunned look on her face that she believed them.

“Hi Mrs. Bittle,” Jack said brightly as if he weren’t half naked and having an embarrassing personal conversation in the middle of a locker room full of his peers. “I know it might seem hard to believe since he’s way out of my league and all, but I’ve been dating your son for almost nine months now. Sorry for not telling you sooner.”

“Oh, wow,” she said giggling. “This is really happening. Dicky, take the phone I think I might faint.”

“Don’t be so dramatic mother,” he huffed snatching back the phone.

He was once again staring at Jack’s handsome and slightly bemused face.

“Anything else, Bits?”

“Nope. That will be all. Thanks honey. And, uh, I’m sorry in advance for all the chirping.”

Jack shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. Love you.”

“I love you too. Talk to you later.”

Eric hung up to the resounding sound of the word “Fiiiiiiiiiiiine” echoing throughout the locker room. He’d probably just cost Jack a good three hundred dollars. He was going to have to make that up to him next time he saw him.

He was already looking forward to it actually...

“Do you believe me now, mother?” Eric asked, pocketing his phone.

His mother was smiling with manic girlish delight. “Honey, you’re dating an actual prince. A hockey prince. This is unbelievable.” Then her eyes widened even further. “Wait, were you already dating when he visited you last summer?!”

“Yes. Just barely. Jack told me how he felt at his graduation and he didn’t want to wait a whole three months to see me again so he arranged a visit.”

“That’s so romantic! Did you boys do anything for valentine's day? Tell me everything.”

Eric had to admit, despite his initial fears and roller coaster of emotions, it felt really good to gush about Jack to someone who was just as excited about it as he was. He was about halfway through describing the roses when the smoke detectors went off.

“The tart!” They both gasped, racing for the oven. Smoke was wafting out of it and disappearing up into the high-beamed ceiling.

Eric put on oven mitts, yanked the door open and coughed his way through to the completely charred tart on the center rack. 

“Whoops,” Eric said.

Suzanne laughed. “Yeah, whoops. You picked a doozy of a time to come out Dicky.”

Eric looked up at his mother’s warm and loving eyes and smiled to himself. “No,” he said. “It was perfect.”

Suzanne patted him on the shoulder and retrieved the ruined tart from him with an old dishrag. “I’ll take care of this,” she said confidently. “You go talk to your father.”

Eric’s heart sank. “Mama…”

“Eric Richard Bittle you go down to the den and tell your father about your boyfriend right now. I know you’re scared, but he’ll be happy for you. Literally as far as serious relationships go I don’t think you could have picked anyone more impressive to your father than a professional athlete. Might wanna lead with that.”

She set the tart down on the stovetop and gave him a little shove toward the door. She was stronger than she looked.

Eric allowed his feet to carry him all the way to the den without stopping. His heart was thundering so hard in his ears that he could hardly hear anything else.

But if he didn’t do it now, he never would.

He sucked in a breath and tried to pretend that he was gearing up for a game and not a potentially disastrous conversation before rapping his knuckles once against the doorframe and poking his head inside.

“Daddy, can I talk to you for a minute?”

**Author's Note:**

> Ayyyy. Sorry about the cliff hanger. I wanted to leave it open in case I ever wanna write more. I'm Retoondant on tumblr if you wanna scream at and/or with me.


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